Facebook Messsenger How to Tell Date and Time Someone Read a Message I Sent to Them
Selling on Facebook Marketplace
By Erin Huffstetler | 01/26/2021 |
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Interested in selling some things on Facebook Marketplace? Hither's how to set up a listing, plus my best tips to help you increment your run a risk of making a sale.
What is Facebook Marketplace?
Facebook Marketplace is a selling platform that's built into Facebook. It allows you to purchase and sell items in your local community without fees. If yous want to get your item in front of a larger audition, you can also offer to ship them. Facebook collects a pocket-size fee for these types of transactions (currently 5%). In return, they process the payment and offer protection for the heir-apparent and seller. You lot can employ your own aircraft characterization to mail the item, or they'll create a shipping characterization and email it to you. As much as credit carte processing costs, this is a very reasonable transaction fee.
Please note that Facebook Marketplace is NOT the same things as Facebook Groups. With Facebook Groups, y'all have to go through the hassle of finding local buying/selling groups in your area and the farther hassle of asking to bring together. With Facebook Marketplace, yous just put a gratis classified listing together, and ship information technology live. Easy!
How Selling on Facebook Market place Works
To create a list on Facebook Marketplace, just click on the little Market icon in the Facebook app, or on the left-mitt side of the website. It looks like a fiddling shop.
So, click on the "Create New Listing" button.
It'll ask you lot to choose whether you want to sell an item, sell a vehicle, listing a home for hire or list a job opening. Once y'all've selected the advisable selection, upload some photos of the item you're selling (you tin add together upwardly to 10), and fill in all the required fields.
Information technology'll ask you to enter a title, description, toll and your location (It just needs your city, non your street accost). It'll also inquire you to assign your item to a category, and to list its condition. The "tag" field is optional, merely I recommend filling information technology out. It just wants a list of keywords, or terms, that people might use to search for this particular particular. Taking the fourth dimension to fill this out field volition help to put your item in front end of more than potential byers.
Use the preview pane to double check your piece of work. If y'all're happy with the way everything looks, hitting "publish." Local listings are completely free on Facebook Marketplace, and so you won't take to pay whatsoever sort of listing or selling fee. Pretty sweet!
As before long as Facebook verifies that your list meets their guidelines, they'll send it live.
Your listing will be viewable to anyone within 100 miles of you, and volition but show the information that you've called to make public in your Facebook profile. People will Non be able to encounter your address or phone number, unless y'all've called to put those things in your profile (don't do that).
If someone is interested in your listing, they tin message you through Facebook to ask questions or check availability.
If you're viewing Facebook on your reckoner, y'all'll hear a chime, when a message comes in. Then, it'll pop-up upward on your screen.
Yous'll hear a similar chime alerting you to an incoming message, if yous're using the Facebook Messenger app on your telephone.
All communications will remain on Facebook, unless you cull to take the chat elsewhere.
My Experience Selling on Facebook Market place
This list received 178 views, and 12 inquiries. It sold 14 days later I listed it, and received shut to the total asking toll.
I starting time tried Facebook Market back in 2018, when my friends asked for aid selling their Kubota RTV. Since then, I've bought, and sold, all sorts of things on Marketplace, including cars, wearing apparel, piece of work equipment and housewares.
It'due south proven to be a fairly easy way to find the things I need, and to sell the things I no longer need.
Since the pandemic is currently keeping me from having a 1000 sale, or participating in a kids' consignment auction, I'm at present using Facebook Marketplace more than ever, and I've challenged myself to run into if I tin can earn $1,000 this year, by selling the stuff that I would normally sell in person.
Update: I surpassed my goal! Then far, I've earned $1,089, and I however accept a bunch of stuff to sell. I feel like I've learned a ton nigh what it takes to be successful on Marketplace, past doing this.
How to Increase Your Hazard of Making a Sale on Facebook Market
Success on Facebook Marketplace starts with a proficient listing. Center-communicable photos are a big part of that. Market place allows you to upload up to 10 pictures, then be sure to take advantage of that. Take pictures of the item from several angles, so buyers tin can see what the detail looks like, and accurately assess condition.
Don't copy and paste manufacturer'due south promotional photos from some other website. Buyers won't like it, and it'southward copyright infringement.
The commencement picture will exist used as the thumbnail picture in search, then make sure it's a skilful one. Too many of the photos on Marketplace are blurry, nighttime or poorly staged. That's a sales killer. Put a bit of try into your photos, and your stuff volition stand out (in a adept way) and sell faster.
Title
Choose a title for your list that clearly states what y'all're selling, and uses keywords that a buyer might use to search for the detail. If I'm listing a clothing detail, for example, I include the brand, the type of clothing, the size and the gender in the title. Here's the title I used recently on a listing that sold less than an hr afterwards I posted it:
2 Nether Armour Tops – Womens' Big
Doesn't that give you a pretty clear idea of what I'one thousand selling, before y'all even click on the listing?
And when paired with this photo, y'all probably know whether or non your interested in buying, before yous even click through to read my description, or come across the other photos.
You take ane gamble to grab a customer's attention, before they roll past your listing, and then don't waste material it.
The Marketplace listing tool suggests categories based on what you lot put in the title field. If the suggested categories don't seem like a expert fit for your detail, it's probably a pretty adept indication that you lot demand to get back and rework your championship. If yous're list a pair of womens' pants, for instance, and it'southward suggesting the "mens' pants" category, become back and add the word "womens'" to your listing.
Description
The description is your chance to tell buyers everything they demand to know about the particular you're selling, and then effort to reply all the questions they're likely to have. If yous do a skillful chore, yous'll field fewer questions via Messenger.
I learned this the hard mode, when I listed the Kubota RTV for my friends. Lots of people wanted to know if it was two or 4-wheel drive, and whether it was gas or diesel fuel-powered. They were obvious questions that I had failed to respond in my description, so I found myself answering them over and over. If you lot find you lot've overlooked an important detail, like I did, go dorsum and edit your listing. It'll save yous a bunch of work.
When I write a description, I echo a lot of the same information from the title, but with more detail. Here are some things I typically mention:
- Brand
- Size – (this could mean listing the wear size, but information technology could too mean listing which vehicle(due south) or tool(s) a item part fits
- Colour and Mode
- Gender – (if information technology's gender-specific)
- Status – Does it work? Is it damaged in any way? Is information technology dented, scratched, peeling, pilling, or stained? Does it have whatever holes? Is it missing any parts? Is it new with tags (NWT)? Is it new-without-tags (NWOT)?
- Toll
- Special features – Does it come with actress accessories or options? Is information technology handmade, 1-of-a-kind or express-edition? If you lot're selling clothes, is information technology a difficult-to-find size? (slim or husky, for example) Does it accept an adjustable waistband?
- Any special terms – Correct at present I'grand only offering contactless porch option-ups, so I state that in every listing. If you have a set up run across spot, yous could also mention that. It'll assist you to weed out people who aren't close by, or willing to meet/pickup at your preferred location.
Hither's the description that I used to sell some of my kids jeans:
2 Pairs of Jeans Juniors Size 00
2 pairs of Juniors size 00 jeans:
(1) pair American Eagle, bootcut
(ane) pair Abercrombie Perfect Stretch, skinny jeans
Both in expert status. No holes or wear at the knees. $eight for both. Contactless porch pick-up but.
See how I listed the brands and cut of each pair, then I wouldn't have to answer those questions over and over? And how I mentioned that the jeans didn't have any holes or knee wear, then potential buyers would know exactly what I meant by good status? These details saved me and my potential buyers from countless rounds of messaging.
By the fourth dimension the jeans sold, the listing had received 174 views, and I had received messages from 8 interested buyers. And you know what? No one asked most the cut or status of the jeans considering I had covered those things well in my list.
Tags
The tags field is optional, but don't skip it. This important field gives you an opportunity to provide Facebook with a list of all the keywords that you lot call back heir-apparent's are likely to utilise to search for the item you're selling.
Here are the tags I used for a pair of womens' golf shoes that I'k currently selling:
- womens golf shoes
- golf shoes
- adidas size 9
- golf shoes womens 9
- Adidas golf shoes
This gives buyers a run a risk to find the shoes by the blazon, size, gender or make. You lot may accept noticed that I left some apostrophes out of my tags. I did this intentionally considering I think it'south more likely that people are going to search for "womens golf shoes" than "womens' golf shoes" or "women's golf shoes." If you think they might use all three, add them all to your list of tags. It certainly won't hurt.
Managing Your Live Listings
When someone tells me they're going to buy an particular, I don't marking it every bit "pending" or "sold," until it really gets picked up. People don't always follow through, so this allows me to go on to generate sales leads, until I have money in mitt. If someone inquires about an item afterwards I've lined up a potential auction, I tell them that someone is supposed to pick up the item, and offering to let them know if that falls through. This gives me a congenital-in back-up plan, and has paid off on several occasions. This approach also allows me to continue to build listing views, so if an detail is popular, Facebook volition encounter that, and hopefully rank it higher.
Facebook allows you to renew a listing five times. This brings information technology dorsum to the top of the pile, and gets it in forepart of more than potential buyers. The interface will showtime suggesting that yous renew your listing after it'south been live for a calendar week, but I don't typically renew it and then soon. My experience has shown that a lilliputian patience pays off on Facebook. So, I wait at least a couple weeks before renewing my listings. Some items will sell right abroad on Market, others may take some time, and that'due south okay with me. It's non like a yard sale or an auction, where I have a limited window of time to sell. I'm okay with sitting on something for a little while, if it allows me to convert it to cash. So, don't be disheartened, if you lot don't sell everything the kickoff calendar week. My husband just sold a car part that he'd had listed for several months, and he got his total asking cost.
How to Earn Ratings and Badges
Facebook uses a v-star rating system to rate sellers. In one case you lot've received five ratings your ratings volition be visible to buyers. Practice good customer service habits, so you earn good ratings.
There are too two seller badges that yous tin can earn to boost buyer confidence. One is a "very responsive bluecoat." To earn it, you need to respond to most messages within an hour. The other badge is the "community recommended badge." I have that 1, but had no idea how I'd earned it, so I did some digging in their Marketplace policies, and found that the just thing they said about information technology was that it'southward not a feature that'south bachelor to everyone. Guess that means I'm in a guild that's and so mysterious I don't know how I got into it. If I had to approximate, I would say it'southward a concord over from their onetime rating system.
Why Didn't Facebook Marketplace Have My Listing?
Recently when I was listing a agglomeration of my kids' clothes, i of my listings wasn't approved, and I received a message that "This list may go confronting our rules for selling." Yikes that sounded scary. When I clicked on the list for more than data, information technology said, "This listing goes against our rules on misleading products." Gulp, now that actually sounded scary. And it's at this point that I should intermission and tell you that I was only trying to sell a winter coat from a popular proper name-brand that rhymes with Bommy Bilfiger.
Information technology suggested that I review their commerce policies, so I did that, and I couldn't find anything that would make my listing unacceptable. So, I took them up on their suggestion to request a review, if I thought they'd gotten it wrong. I just figured someone had accidentally clicked the wrong push, while they were going through a billion listings. Imagine my surprise then, when less than 24 hours subsequently, I was informed that my appeal had been denied. I was perplexed, and also a little worried about angering the Facebook gods. I have a business organisation account with over 21K followers attached to the my personal Facebook account, so I didn't want to accidentally misstep, and lose my business relationship, over some outgrown kids' clothes that I was trying to sell.
I listed some more things, cautiously at outset. Then, I got to some other item from that make that rhymes with Bommy Bilfiger, and guess what? That item got denied for the same reason. This at least gave me a clearer film of what was likely going on. I surmised that they were probably simply denying all items from that particular brand because said make was overly-protective of their trademarked name (which is certainly their correct). I took to the interwebs to test this theory, and sure enough, I found lots of people who'd had items from Bommy Bilfiger and other super-namey brands rejected. And so, while I can't conclusively prove that this is why my item was rejected, information technology seems plausible. If y'all run across this upshot, just put the item bated, and listing something else. They're probably just trying to protect themselves from a legal storm, and who can arraign them?
How to Navigate Facebook Marketplace Like a Pro
Facebook has made information technology very like shooting fish in a barrel to list items for auction, but some of the other seller tools on Marketplace aren't so intuitive. Here are the subconscious features, and tricks, that I've uncovered to brand selling on Facebook easier:
- When yous click on "You Account" information technology brings up a list of all the items you're selling, or accept recently sold. The listings don't wait clickable, but if y'all click on the white background, it'll open up a menu where you tin click to view the list, delete the listing, catch a shareable link and encounter all the messages you've received pertaining to that detail. I use this handy feature to grab links when I have a buyer who'due south purchasing a similar detail, and I call up they may be interested in one of my other listings. I also apply it to see who's next in line for an item when a sale falls through, or to find a message that I accidentally airtight.
- If buyers click on your commerce profile, they tin can view all of the items that yous're currently selling. This gives you an piece of cake way to point customers to other relevant items, if they're shopping for a specific make or size.
- When you send someone a message via Messenger it puts a fiddling gray circle with a check marking to the correct of the bulletin, to show that it's been delivered. Once the person has viewed it, the circle changes to their profile flick.
- When I'k using the desktop version of Facebook Marketplace, I've found that I don't always become a chinkle or a pop-up bulletin, when someone sends me a message. Then, I as well keep an centre on the top navigation bar for any messages or notifications. These bugs don't seem to be an issue in the Facebook app, so you may want to just utilize your phone to monitor your listings. In that location'due south a new desktop app version of Facebook Marketplace, only I haven't tested it yet. That may be some other workaround for these bugs.
How to Stay Safe Selling on Facebook Marketplace (and Avoid Getting Scammed)
- Check your Facebook profile to see what information is public. Make whatsoever necessary adjustments to your privacy settings, earlier you list anything.
- Simply accept cash for your items. This volition help you lot to stay clear of any check, coin gild, gift card and PayPal scams. Information technology as well doesn't hurt to get i of those markers that checks for false bills.
- But ship items, if Facebook is handling the payment process for yous. A popular online scam is to cancel payment, subsequently the item is already in transit.
- Always check out a potential heir-apparent's profile before you take a deal. This can help you determine if they really are local, and fifty-fifty if you accept mutual friends.
- Run across in a public place. Nosotros like to encounter at our local police station, and always telephone call to let dispatch know we're coming. Exist sure to bring someone with you, and to arrange your encounter-up during daylight hours.
- Don't requite out whatever personal information that isn't necessary. Buyers don't demand to know where you live, who you alive with or anything else nearly yous.
Why I like Facebook Market place Improve Than Craigslist
Facebook Market place and Craigslist are similar in that they both offer gratis online classifieds. Withal, I like Facebook Marketplace better for a couple reasons. First, since all the communications stay on Facebook, you don't have to deal with a bunch of spammy eastward-mails in your inbox. And second: since buyers have to exist Facebook members to bulletin yous, you can look at their profiles to get an idea of whom yous're dealing with (and whether you might have friends in common). This helps to weed out the scammers and weirdos.
Since you can besides list grand sales on Facebook Marketplace, it's safe to say that my husband and I are done with trying to sell things on Craigslist.
Take You Bought or Sold Anything on Facebook Marketplace?
I'd love to hear almost your experience, plus how you think Marketplace compares to other online selling options.
Source: https://www.myfrugalhome.com/selling-on-facebook-marketplace/
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